architecture – News and Eventshttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events
Thu, 01 Sep 2016 15:43:47 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Alejandro Aravena to Receive 2016 Pritzker Prizehttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/alejandro-aravena-receive-2016-pritzker-prize/
Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:16:47 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=3191Alejandro Aravena has been named as the 2016 recipient of the Pritzker Prize, receiving a $100,000 grant and a bronze medal during a ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on 4 April. This is the second time in three years that the jury has chosen an architect best known for his humanitarian design rather than statement architecture.

The 2016 jury said that Aravena had “meaningfully expanded the role of the architect” through his social housing work and “is leading a new generation of architects that has a holistic understanding of the built environment and has clearly demonstrated the ability to connect social responsibility, economic demands, design of human habitat and the city,” said the citation. “[He] epitomises the revival of a more socially engaged architect.”

Aravena’s best-known work Elemental is a building group that aims to tackle poverty using a participatory approach that engages local communities in early stages of the design process. His portfolio counts with works such as the faculty buildings at the Universidad Católica and the Siamese Towers – home of the School of Architecture.

Aravena is the curator of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, one of the most significant events in the artistic calendar. The exhibition will take place in May with the theme Reporting from the Front, which aims to focus on the biggest social and political issues that has been negotiated by artists with around the world.

]]>Gargoyle-covered skyscraper for New York is proposed by Mark Foster Gagehttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/gargoyle-covered-skyscraper-new-york-proposed-mark-foster-gage/
Mon, 14 Dec 2015 18:43:23 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=3102New York architect Mark Foster Gage has proposed a 102-storey tower covered in Gothic sculptural elements for Manhattan, in response to the city’s supertall skyscrapers that are “virtually free of architectural design” (+ movie).

The highly decorative residential building for West 57th Street was redisgend by Foster Gage as an alternative to the more conventional skyscrapers currently springing up in Midtown.

“I think that many of the supertall buildings being built in New York City are virtually free of architectural design – they are just tall boxes covered in selected glass curtain wall products,” said Foster Gage, who serves as assistant dean at the Yale School of Architecture.

“That is not design,” he added. “Design is thinking of a great many things like how a building appears from different distances, or in this case, how to make each floor unique to the owner.”

“How to make it more than just floor-space in the sky but also something beautiful and hopefully more meaningful to them and the city.”

His proposal features four enormous cantilevered balconies, supported by concrete carved wings that extend outwards from the structure’s exterior.

Bronze and brass decorative details extend up the tower, and have been used to create cog-shaped elements at the base and curved sections that echo the forms of the wings further up the building.

At the top of the tower, a viewing platform is framed by sculptural metal details, including what appear to be the faces of pig-like creatures at each corner.

“Our primary interest wasn’t symbolism as might have been the case with such sculptural forms a century ago,” said the architect.

“Instead we were interested in having high and low resolution areas on the facade, so the building revealed different qualities from different viewing distances – including from the interior,” he added.

The architect explain that visitors will also be able to visit a restaurant that would offer “an awe-inspiring event and dining experience unique to the city of New York”.

According to the architect, each of the apartments in the building will also have its own unique sculptural exterior, designed to “frame particular features of the surrounding urban and natural landscapes”.

Other proposed designs for new towers for the city include ODA’s residential tower with open-air terraces, and Dror Benshetrit’s trio of proposals for residential buildings on different sites of New York.

However some New Yorkers have spoken out against the rise in super-tall skinny skyscrapers, claiming they could overshadow Central Park.

]]>Two New Nominees for RIBA House of the Year Awardhttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/new-nominees-riba-house-year-award/
Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:59:30 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2899RIBA of the house award is one of the UK’s highest honors in residential design and this year’s last few places in the shortlist of finalists are filling up faster than expected. Amongst the nominees are a generous and clever central London house and a beautifully proportioned countryside home in County Down.

1) Levring House

Levring House is the inspired work of London based architect Jamie Fobert. Occupying a typical mews house plot in Bloomsbury, this modern home is spacious and stylish, making the most of its site, materials and orientation.

Made of Danish hand made bricks, bronze panels and clear glazing, Levring House also includes a delightful 14m long marble lined lap pool in its basement, as well as ample space for work and play for the owners. A central light well at its heart helps natural light penetrate deep into all interiors.

The House at Maghera was designed by Belfast architecture practice McGonigle McGrath. The house, designed within an existing settlement, takes its cues from the area’s vernacular architecture and arrangement. It is composed of two forms, wedged together. Inside, large, open spaces offer ample living space. A clean decor and a neutral colour palette allows the nature, beautifully framed by carefully placed openings, to take centre stage, uniting inside and outside.

With one more nominee left to be revealed, anticipation is rising fast with the winner revealed on next November 25.

]]>Herzog & de Meuron Designs New Curvaceous Apartment in NYChttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/herzog-meuron-designs-new-curvaceous-apartment-nyc/
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:36:13 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2827Newest curving apartment block is the latest project designed by Herzog & de Meuron, in collaboration with developer Ian Schrager. Planned for a site overlooking the Hudson River, the building will offer 49 luxury homes in a building billed as “curvaceous, sensual, free-flowing, seductive and sexy”.

A “sense of purity and pristiness” can be noticed through an ondulating façade of large windows framed by white concrete.

“The courtyard is one of the many features that sets 160 Leroy apart from all other new residences in the city,” says Schrager in a statement. “It’s a separate intense reality. The experience of arriving at 160 Leroy will be transformative.”

]]>Herzog & de Meuron win 2015 RIBA Jencks Awardhttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/herzog-meuren-win-2015-riba-jencks-award/
Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:41:53 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2688The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced Herzog & de Meuron as winners of the 2015 RIBA Jencks Award. This award recognizes those who were a significant contribution in architecture, in practice as well as theory.

This year, the award’s recipient was decided by a judging panel comprising Jencks, RIBA President and Chairman of Hodder and Partners Stephen Hodder, Serpentine Galleries director Julia Peyton-Jones and AA director Brett Steele (and chaired by RIBA Director of Eduation David Gloster).

“We are delighted to be the winners of this year’s RIBA Jencks Award,” say the architects. “Despite the many texts and books we have published, we still have doubts about the longevity of texts written by architects,” they continue. “The title of a few books may be remembered over time – the relevance of their content, though, ages faster than expected… We therefore always did our best to not to separate theory from the built work. Buildings don’t follow theory but yes: the best buildings always allow for theoretical interpretations of all kinds.”

]]>David Chipperfield Develops Stone Apartments in Hangzhou Marshlandhttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/david-chipperfield-develops-stone-apartments-in-hangzhou-marshland/
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 18:36:33 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2558London based architect David Chipperfield has completed a series of stone apartments raised on plinths above the surface of a water garden in Hangzhou, eastern China. This park stands on the outskirts of the city, which is located at one end of the world’s longest artificial waterway, the Grand Canal.

“The omnipresent relationship between landscape, architecture, and water is key to the atmosphere in Xixi,” said the firm. “This atmosphere has been integrated into a new development of apartment buildings.”

“In contrast to these green surroundings, the buildings appear as dark stone volumes embedded in the water garden,” said David Chipperfield Architects. “They are, as is typical for villages in Xixi, placed on a stone plinth that sits in the water.”

]]>WOW Architects Transforms Old Shop House into an Art and Design Venuehttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/wow-architects-transforms-old-shop-house-into-an-art-and-design-venue/
Wed, 21 Oct 2015 14:12:13 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2509WOW Architetcs, by the hands of Warner Wong and her team, have transformed and old shop house headquartered in a historic Singapore neighborhood into a new venue for art and design.

The “Niven Road Studio” had been used in the past as a residential property and as a worker housing and after 20 years, Wong began to realise tha the space could be used as a catalyst for creative collaboration.

Bulfing’s original interior has all restored excepting the surfaces, that was intentionally leaved unfinished to reveal rugged brickworl and the indersides of terracotta roof tiles.

As many of Singapore’s old shophouses have now been demolished, those that remain are often granted heritage listings – prompting imaginative refurbishments.

]]>DESIGN EVENTS YOU CAN’T MISS AT VIENNA BIENNALEhttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/events-2/design-events-you-cant-miss-at-vienna-biennale/
Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:26:53 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2286The first Vienna Biennale 2015, designed as the first event of this kind to combine art, design, and architecture, is entering its final month. Particularly for those interested in architecture, urbanism and design, the end of September and the beginning of October offer a rich program of events, centred around the theme Smart Life in the City. The last day is the 4th of October.

Displaying Knowledge Discussion

The exhibition “2051. Smart Life in the City” looks at alternative futures of everyday life in the city, exploring the role of design as a tool for creating a more sustainable, more equitable lifestyle. What were the structural and organisational challenges of the exhibition concept?

Ideas for Change Powered by Pecha Kucha

A presentation concept invented in Tokyo, Pecha Kucha allows only 20 slides, each showing for only 20 seconds, for a total presentation time of less than seven concise minutes.

magdas Social Dinner

Magdas, a Vienna hotel and canteen staffed by refugees, organises a Social Dinner, where the long-settled Viennese can meet asylum seekers and travelers. This social project is one of the ten ‘Demonstrators’ in the exhibition, showcasing innovative social design practice in urban context.

September 25 2015, 19h, at magdas Hotel, Vienna.

Building Site: City (Bauwerk:Stadt – Meine Stadt 2051)

In collaboration with the city office for families, MAK and the design duo Célia-Hannes, this is a family workshop targeted for children to use their creativity and design urban spaces.

2051. Smart Life in the City Bike Tour

What better way to see the heart of the Smart Life program – the selection of ten Demonstrator projects scattered around the city – than on the sustainable transport mode of the future? A guided bike tour through all the ten Demonstrator projects in Vienna, this tour will bring you up close to the innovative ways in which Viennese people are transforming their city with design, architecture, social enterprises and art. You are advised to bring your own bike.

]]>Zara Hadid is the First Woman To Receive Royal Medal for Architecturehttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/architecture/zara-hadid-is-the-first-woman-to-receive-royal-medal-for-architecture/
Fri, 25 Sep 2015 13:58:49 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2174

British architect Zaha Hadid became the first women to scoop a top British architectural prize – the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, presented annually in recognition of a significant contribution to the profession. Previous winners of the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) include Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Frank Lloyd Wright.

“I am very proud to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal, in particular to be the first woman to receive the honour in her own right,” she said in a statement.

“We now see more established female architects all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense,” she said.

“There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress. This recognition is an honour for me and my practice, but equally, for all our clients. It is always exciting to collaborate with those who have great civic pride and vision.” she continued.

]]>GUCCI NEW RETAIL CONCEPT IN MILAN FASHION WEEKhttp://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/luxury/gucci-new-retail-concept-in-milan-fashion-week/
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 15:35:59 +0000http://www.bocadolobo.com/en/news-and-events/?p=2154Italy’s Gucci has unveiled a new retail concept at its Milanese flagship to celebrate the first collection designed by the house’s creative director, Alessandro Michele. Mr. Michele joined Gucci in January, and the updated retail concept marks the new direction he plans to take the brand. Gucci’s flagship on Via Montenapoleone in Milan sets the tone for the new retail environment as the first of the brand’s global storefronts to be redesigned.

The new retail environment will welcome consumers into a relaxed interior, with architecture and decor that is discreet through the use of soft elements such as velvet armchairs and harder, industrial touches such as rivets. The space also includes marble polychrome inlays on its floors, a marble staircase set against a varnished iron wall, carpeting in red and peacock blue as well as vintage oriental rugs and dark grey and pale pink velvets used in the fitting rooms.

“The new store design is one of the key ways in which we are communicating Gucci’s new identity and it is not by chance that we are showcasing this at our Milan Montenapoleone flagship store, coinciding with the start of Milan Women’s Fashion Week,” said Marco Bizzarri, Gucci president and CEO, in a statement.

“[Gucci’s] new contemporary vision for the brand is now clearly beginning to come to life across multiple touch-points: Alessandro’s new collection, new advertising campaigns, new store windows, new packaging and now a brand new store concept,” he said. “We could not be more proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far, as we move to implement our new business strategy.”

The brand will continue updating its retail concept at its global network of stores, with each being unique and suited to its respective location. Gucci’s retail concept has also been expressed in the form of a pop-up shop in collaboration with Dover Street Market in Tokyo, London, New York and Beijing.